Golf studies are intriguing. But some are more intriguing than others. Take those done on power. They show you can gain 25 yards off the tee without going to a gym or buying a new driver. All you have to do is improve your swing’s sequencing and efficiency. How do you do that? Strengthen your core. That’s right. Beef up your core and you could quickly become the top dog in your foursome when it comes to driver. With luck, you could also cut strokes from your golf handicap. Increasing clubhead speed is the key to hitting bombs.
More precisely, you add 2 yards to your drive for every mile per hour you increase your clubhead speed, as I’ve said in my golf tips newsletter. Increase clubhead speed by 10 miles per hour and you add about 20 yards to your drives. Pro golfers average clubhead speeds of about 130 miles per hour. Long drive champs average clubhead speeds of about 145 miles per hour. And weekend golfers average speeds of about 100 miles per hour. That’s a big difference.
Seven Groups Power Your Swing
Seven muscle groups power your swing—(1) glutes, (2) groin, (3) abs, lats, and obliques, (4) quadriceps, (5) pectorals, (6) hamstrings, and (7) rotator cuffs. But many other muscles also help. For example, while the left adductor (groin) pulls the body forward, the right latissimus dorsi (lat) balances the body so it doesn’t topple over as you shift your weight. If you’ve taken golf lessons or read a lot of golf tips, you know how vital a balanced sequential weight shift is.
Nevertheless, while your legs, shoulders, back, and chest help generate power, it’s your core—abdomen, pelvis, and thighs—that’s the true producer of power. In fact, if you watch the pros closely, you’ll see just how critical the core is to drilling a golf ball a long way. In other words, to belt drives 250 yards or more, you must fire your hips through the hitting area quickly and efficiently. To do that, strengthen your core muscle group:
Two simple exercises and two easy-to-do stretches can help you strengthen your core. They make a difference because they improve the flexibility, coordination, and strength of your hips, abdomen, and pelvis. Do the exercises faithfully and you’ll be hitting bombs without having gone to any golf instructions sessions or trekking over to your health club.
Here are the exercises and stretches:
Hip Rotation Stretch
Stand next to a wall, with your shoulders perpendicular to it. Step forward with the right leg, knee bent. Keeping most of your weight on your right leg, place your hands on the wall and turn your shoulders to the right, sliding your hands back as far as you can.
Hip Flexor
Kneel on your right knee in a lunge position until you can feel a stretch in your left hip. Holding a club in front of you, slowly turn the upper body to the left while keeping the lower body stable and the club at chest level.
Single Leg Rotation
Stand on one leg, knees slightly bent. Holding the club in front of you, mimic the spine angle you would have when you address the ball. Now slowly turn as if you were making a backswing then a through swing, before returning to the address position.
Step-down Hip Rotation
Stand on a platform so one leg hangs off the edge. Holding a club in front of you, turn your upper body toward the platform as the hanging foot taps the floor. Then return to the start position. Be sure to work the opposite side equally.
Perform these stretches and exercises in sets of three (10-15 reps), then alternate sides. Perform each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Do them as many times a week as you’d like and before long you’ll be the top dog in your foursome.
We all want to generate power off the tee—whether you have a golf handicap in the low single digits or one in the high teens. Longer drives mean shorter approach shots. Shorter approach shots mean more GIRs. More GIRs mean more par and birdie putts. Sinking more of those can help cut your golf handicap dramatically.
